SERIES OF SMALL RECEIPTS FOR A SQUAD, OUTPOST,
OR PICKET OF MEN,
Which may be increased in proportion of companies.
Camp Receipts for the Army in the East.
(From the Times of the 22nd January, 1855.)[37]
No. 15. Camp Soup.—Put half a pound of salt pork in a saucepan, two ounces of rice, two pints and a half of cold water, and, when boiling, let simmer another hour, stirring once or twice; break in six ounces of biscuit, let soak ten minutes; it is then ready, adding one teaspoonful of sugar, and a quarter one of pepper, if handy.
No. 16. Beef Soup.—Proceed as above, boil an hour longer, adding a pint more water.
Note.—Those who can obtain any of the following vegetables will find them a great improvement to the above soups:—Add four ounces of either onions, carrots, celery, turnips, leeks, greens, cabbage, or potatoes, previously well washed or peeled, or any of these mixed to make up four ounces, putting them in the pot with the meat.
I have used the green tops of leeks and the leaf of celery as well as the stem, and found, that for stewing they are preferable to the white part for flavour. The meat being generally salted with rock salt, it ought to be well scraped and washed, or even soaked in water a few hours if convenient; but if the last cannot be done, and the meat is therefore too salt, which would spoil the broth, parboil it for twenty minutes in water, before using for soup, taking care to throw this water away.
No. 17.—For fresh beef proceed, as far as the cooking goes, as for salt beef, adding a teaspoonful of salt to the water.
No. 18. Pea Soup.—Put in your pot half a pound of salt pork, half a pint of peas, three pints of water, one teaspoonful of sugar, half one of pepper, four ounces of vegetables, cut in slices, if to be had; boil gently two hours, or until the peas are tender, as some require boiling longer than others—and serve.
No. 19. Stewed Fresh Beef and Rice.—Put an ounce of fat in a pot, cut half a pound of meat in large dice, add a teaspoonful of salt, half one of sugar, an onion sliced; put on the fire to stew for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, then add two ounces of rice, a pint of water; stew gently till done, and serve. Any savoury herb will improve the flavour. Fresh pork, veal, or mutton, may be done the same way, and half a pound of potatoes used instead of the rice, and as rations are served out for three days, the whole of the provisions may be cooked at once, as it will keep for some days this time of the year, and is easily warmed up again.
N.B. For a regular canteen pan triple the quantity.